The Online Literary Magazine at Arizona State University

novel

Today we are glad to announce that Sharanya Manivannan’s first novel, The Queen of Jasmine Country, is available for pre-order on Amazon India. According to the book’s synopsis, myths, dreams, desires, the timeless reality of the body and soul – in the midst of nature’s bounty – is at the essence of The Queen of Jasmine Country. This is the first novel in English about the celebrated 9th century Tamil poet Andal, who was known for her erotic devotional verses.

Four poems by Sharanya can be read in Issue 6 of Superstition Reviewhere.

Local author Andrea Lechner-Becker shares her debut at Changing Hands Phoenix on Thursday May 24 at 7pm.

Almost 40% of Americans will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. This staggering statistic inspired Phoenix-based ex-lady boss, Andrea Lechner-Becker, to craft Sixty Days Left, a story about small town Willow, who at thirty, found herself with a six-months-to-live terminal diagnosis. The Right to Die debate mingles with Willow’s history to form an unforgettable read that will leave readers unable to avoid the question, “What would I do with just sixty days left?”

This character-driven read is presented in reverse chronological order, which leads the reader back in time to more deeply understand each character’s motivations through their histories. Refreshingly honest and intimate, Willow’s reflective diary entries hold a surprisingly uplifting lesson for the living.

Beyond the compelling story, this debut novel explores the taboo topic of Death with Dignity, an issue being debated all over America with recent coverage in The New York Times, TIME Magazine, and The Washington Post. Join this event to meet the author, hear about her motivations for creating this tale and grab your signed copy of Sixty Days Left.

PARKING / LIGHT RAIL
Don’t want to drive? Take the Light Rail! It lets off at the Central Avenue/Camelback Park-and-Ride, which has hundreds of free parking spaces across the street from Changing Hands.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Phoenix-based ANDREA LECHNER-BECKER is an ex-executive from a leading digital marketing agency in Scottsdale. A new kind of American author, with a casual, straight-forward and approachable writing style, she, like her name, is a little awkward and kinda funny. On a perfect day, she sits at a bar (like First Draft Book Bar!) ingesting craft beers and talking to strangers. She believes everyone has a story to tell and deeply desires to tell as many of them as possible.

Today we are pleased to share that past contributor Lee Martin has recently released a book titled Telling Stories. The book is intended for anyone interested in thinking more about the elements of storytelling in short stories, novels, and memoirs.Telling Storiesis now available for purchase from University of Nebraska Press.

Explore the life of renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist Edith Wharton. Dr. Rivers-Norton will discuss excerpts from “Edith Wharton: When Words First Spoke,” the fourth chapter of her latest book The Demeter-Persephone Myth as Writing Ritual in the Lives of Literary Women. The talk will focus on the novelist Edith Wharton, who experiences loss, illness and confusion as a child and is mystified by the aloofness of her mother. Consequently, she feels insecure and inferior. Although destined to be a writer, Wharton is profoundly shaped by family discord and a war-torn world, and often courts humiliation and consequent exile by voicing what others in her family do not want to acknowledge. Despite these restrictions, Wharton continuously recasts painful experience as fodder for the imagination to forge a lasting literary career.

This free event will be on Thursday, June 8 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Located at Arizona Humanities 1242 N. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85004. For more information and to RSVP click here.

The Caffeine Corridor Poetry Series featuring poets Jessica Standifird and Sally K. Lehman, takes place on Friday, April 14th at 7 p.m., at {9} The Gallery. This event is hosted by Bill Campana, Jack Evans, and Shawnee Orion in partnership with Four Chambers Press. {9} The Gallery is located on 1229 Grand Ave. Phoenix AZ, 85007. The event is free and open to the public.

Open mic starts at 7 p.m. and sign-ups begin at 6:45 p.m.

Lehman will be promoting her novel, In The Fat, and Standifird will be reading from her upcoming memoir, A House Where Silence Is Failing. Both of these works cover topics in abuse, mental health, and teen pregnancy. Lehman’s novel portrays these topics from a fictional standpoint whereas Standifird’’s in memoir point of view.

Lehman is the author of the Young Adult novel In The Fat as well as the books Small Minutes, The Unit – Room 154, and Living in the Second Tense. Her work can also be found in numerous literary magazines including Lunch Ticket and The Coachella Review.

Standifird has performed her work across the country and her poetry and prose can be found in Perceptions: A Magazine Of The Arts, Microfiction Monday Magazine, and Bear The Pall: An Anthology On The Loss Of Parents. Standifird is also a musician, and plays with the Portland, Oregon band, Bright & Shiny.

Sally K. Lehman and Jessica Standifird both hail from Portland, Oregon will be touring the Southwest in April, 2017.

Hey there dear readers! Superstition Review is back after a brief hiatus with more good news: past contributor Victor Lodato’s essay “When Your Greatest Romance Is a Friendship” has been published in The New York Times‘ “Modern Love” column. Lodato was featured in our Interview section of Issue 8 in an interview conducted by former intern Marie Lazaro. In addition to being a recipient of the PEN Center USA Award for fiction, Victor Lodato has also been the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Institute as well as the National Endowment for the Arts. His latest novel, “Edgar and Lucy” is out now from Macmillan, and can be found both online as well as at most major bookstores. Do yourself a favor and check out the essay here, and buy one (or two, or seven) copies of “Edgar and Lucy” here. Congratulations Victor, we couldn’t be happier to know you!

Victor Lodato, author of “When Your Greatest Romance Is a Friendship” and “Edgar and Lucy.”

Good afternoon, readers! We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Amanda Eyre Ward, a contributor featured in the Interview Section of our 7th issue, has a new novel available for preorder, titled “The Nearness of You,” which will be put out from the good people at Ballantine Books, an imprint of the literary titan Random House. Jodi Picoult calls the book “Wrenching, honest, painstakingly researched.,” while People Magazine calls “The Nearness of You” “Deeply affecting.” Ward has created a braiding of perspectives that offer the reader a number of intertwining narratives, all centered around the story of a family in its formation, meditating on ideas of motherhood, love, relationships, and what it means to be a family in this day and age. Don’t wait another moment to go out and preorder yourself a copy of Amanda Eyre Ward’s transformative new novel, “The Nearness of You.”